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How to Prepare for Your New Bunny!

Introduction: How to Prepare for Your New Bunny!

These cute and cuddly creatures are an absolute joy to own, but all of that adorableness comes at a great responsibility! I understand that it may be a bit difficult when you first get one of these cuties to exactly what to buy in preparation for him/her and/or how to care for one, but never fear, i am here to teach you all of the dos and don'ts of bunny care from my knowledge of owning a rabbit myself!!! (the pictures included in this tutorial will be of my own cute little long- eared creature, Sugar;)

What you will need to begin your bunny adventure:

Well, to prepare for the arrival of your new fuzz-ball, you're going to need a few things to get started:3

Step 1: A Reasonably Large Cage

This is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for a rabbit, unless of course you're alright with them peeing and pooping all over the place:) Usually a large cage is best with about 4x2x2ft so your floppy- eared baby has room to sleep and stretch out at times. As you can see my cage, currently being occupied by Sugar, gives her enough room to roam around a bit and carry out her daily activities, but of course she doesn't spend all of her time in there.It is very healthy for your bunny to allow them out of their cage every once in a while to jump around and get some energy out.

Also, as a side note, as you may be able to see in my cage, there is a net- like surface for the floor of the cage, that way when she does her business it drops straight into the tray below, so whenever you wish to clean the cage all you need to do is empty the tray! :D

Step 2: Food and Water

Food and water are the key to living, and without it we'd all die… So as you can imagine it is very important to provide food and water for your bunny daily. But you may be wondering what types of food exactly are healthy for your bunny- ball, well there is a wide variety of foods to give to your rabbit, and it is very important to know what types of food specifically are required for their growth.

Hay, Yay!

It is always important to provide about a handful of hay for your rabbit every day, because for rabbits hay is actually very good for their digestion and it includes tons of other vitamins that aid your bunny in growth. The type of hay doesn’t really matter, but just make sure that it is safe for bunnies of course.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Fresh fruit is very good for rabbits, and contains many different vitamins such as vitamin A, C, and D that can prevent your bunbun from getting various sicknesses and diseases. But not all fruits and vegetables are healthy for bunnies such as some acidic fruits and veggies like oranges, lime/lemons,tomatoes, pineapple, and some other acidities that a bunny’s enzymes are not able to handle, so be careful! (if you’re still unsure, ask.com is always a reliable source)

Fun Snacks and Treats (optional)

Snacks and treats aren’t really necessary but they’re fun to give to your rabbit every once in a while, especially if you’re into bunny training! Treats for your rabbit can really be anything that your bunny enjoys and can be found mostly anywhere, such as professional rabbit treats from a pet store, to unsweetened cheerios from the grocery store, whatever you and your bunny prefer! Just be sure not to ever give your rabbit too much, because it might not be healthy for your bunny, like us eating too many chocolate bars!

Pellets

This is the standard food for bunnies that are usually sold at pet stores and contain the same vitamins and nutrients as fresh fruit, basically a substitute. Therefore if you don't feed your rabbit this, make sure that she or he is exposed to a wide variety of fruits and veggies.

Water!!!!!!

Now I understand that most everyone knows by now that water is a vitality for rabbits and as well as for all living things and how to obtain this liquid, but this step was just to talk about the water dispenser that you pour the water into. Water dispensers can usually be found at a local pet store, and are quite easy to setup and fill with water. But finding a good and durable one that is easy for both you and your bunny is the real challenge. As you can see in the picture above, my water dispenser contains a small mini plastic duck inside that acts as a reminder if the water inside is too much or too little, it's those little necessities that save lives!

Step 3: Chew Toys

Chew Toys

Okay, okay so these aren't really chew 'toys' necessarily, but more like chew things for your bunny that she or he can play with either to keep them busy or for health purposes.

Wooden knaws are very important for rabbits, because a rabbit's teeth never stop growing, therefore they need to chew on hard things to trim their long teeth. It is very important for bunnies to at least be given something hard, such as pellets, if not these flavored pieces of wood or else their teeth can actually end growing up to their brain! But don't let my scary language startle you, this is only a possibility if she or he is not offered anything hard to chew and or eat for long periods of time.

Cardboard, newspaper, and or toilet paper can work as little things to keep your creature busy for a while and allow them to really have a lot of fun! Usually rabbits possess a very busy personality that cause them to twitch and jerk out at times, this is mostly because rabbits always have so much energy bundled up along with all of that cuteness and they very much enjoy tearing up materials such as these.

Once you have all those things, it will then be time to finally own one of these cute majestic creatures and enjoy the new addition to your family!if you're having trouble finding a place that sells one of these cuties, from personal experience I know that the local flea markets usually contain a few bunny sellers. (Also as I side note to consider, bunnies, like all domesticated animals do in fact need vet attention:) So, once you receive you're new bunny, have fun and enjoy!

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5 Comments

There's bad info on this instructable, information that could potentially harm a rabbit.

First of all, that cage is all wrong. If a rabbit is to spend a significant amount of time caged, the cage MUST be at least 3-4 "hop lengths" long, so typically about 6 feet. It also needs to be tall enough that the rabbit can stand on its hind legs with its ears erect, something they do to scan the area to feel safe. 2 feet isn't enough. Next, wire floors are bad for rabbits. They have soft feet and nails that can catch and tear on the wire. Lastly, rabbits can be litter box trained so a cage is NOT a necessity to keep them from doing their business everywhere.

Next, newspapers, toilet paper, and cardboard ABSOLUTELY ARE NOT APPROPRIATE RABBIT TOYS. If the rabbit chews and eats enough, it can develop an intestinal blockage and die. On top of that, many inks are harmful for the rabbit.

Lastly, ask.com is NOT a reliable source on what a rabbit can eat. Try a rabbit focused website like the House Rabbit Society at rabbit.org. In fact, just skip this entire instructable and get your information there.

Hello, my rabbit is a fully grown dwarf dutch, and she herself is easily able to stand up on her hind legs while in the cage presented. And if you are able to see, you can easily tell that her feet are not constantly in contact with the wires below, because i have placed wooden planks at the bottom for her to rest on (as shown in the instructable). And I mean they aren't even wires, meaning that wires are not the correct way to describe them, the floor of the cage is more like a metal net. It is quite different from wires in like a chicken coop. This is a strong metal net that acts as the bottom surface of the cage. You describe the bottom of my cage as some sort of unstable assortment of wires that can be harmful to the rabbit species. This cage is specifically meant for rabbits! Also, I have no idea how your rabbit acts, but my rabbit does not eat the chew toys that I stated in the presentation (toilet paper, cardboard, and newspaper) , she simply rips them apart and assorts them into a neat pile, but I guess you're saying not all rabbits posses as much intellect as mine in that case then.